Undergraduate Admissions

Middle Level Education

Scholarship-supported learning abroad opportunities are available with Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland.

Education majors can travel to Thailand for summer experiences
teaching English to children, facilitating camp programs and learning
regional culture.

Erie is identified by the U.S. Department of State as a
refugee resettlement center. English Language Learner placements
are completed at local schools as part of a required ESL course.

Activities outside the classroom are planned by the members
of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society, Gannon University’s
Society for Exceptional Children and the Student Pennsylvania State
Education Association.

Gannon’s Phi Zeta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor
Society was recognized as one of four recipients of the Community
Service Chapter Program Award for its Growing Readers program.

The School of Education houses Gannon's Literacy Outreach
Program where students work at designated after-school programs in the
city to help preK-8 students develop literacy skills.

You Will Learn

Gannon University’s grades 4-8 middle level certification programs
lead to a Bachelor of Science degree in one of 13 options, including
four dual-certification options with special education preK-8. The
Pennsylvania Department of Education recently announced the increased
need for special education teachers and English as a Second Language
teachers. This need is not exclusive to Pennsylvania but exists
throughout the United States.

The professional education core emphasizes middle level philosophy
and effective strategies for teaching young adolescents. The curriculum
includes courses designed to provide expertise in one or two content
areas as well as knowledge in all four core academic areas and special
education.

Literacy is a key component in all education areas. To
enhance literacy instruction for middle level majors two courses are
required: MLED 201 Adolescent Literature develops literacy knowledge
through designated projects in a school library or middle-level
classroom and MLED 301 Literacy Development, Strategies and Assessments
apprises teacher candidates of the literacy needs of middle level
students.

You Will Experience

Middle level majors participate in multiple 30-hour and 60-hour field
experiences and a full semester of student teaching, more than 800
hours of field work. Students have the opportunity to experience a
variety of four- to eight-content classrooms that allow students to put
theory learned in the classroom into action.

The School of Education places pre-service teachers in public,
private and alternative school settings in urban, suburban and rural
areas within a 25-mile radius, some of which are in walking distance of
campus.

You Will Achieve

Graduates are prepared for Pennsylvania Level I teaching certification in middle level education grades 4-8. These Bachelor of Science degrees can lead to a variety of career opportunities such as:

grades 4-6 self-contained classroom teacher

grades 7-8 content-specific classroom teacher

special education teacher

sports coach

zoo or nature center educator

With additional training and experience, these degrees can lead to career opportunities such as:

autistic support educator

corporate education trainer

English as a Second Language teacher

school counselor

principal or superintendent

reading or math coach

reading specialist

special education supervisor

supervisor of curriculum and instruction

university professor

You will Study

Education majors gain a variety of experiences in public, private and
diocesan schools in urban, suburban and rural locations. Further, a
number of special education courses allow students opportunities to gain
strategies to successfully educate diverse populations.

This course introduces pre-service teachers to creating and managing
instruction in the learning environment. They develop standards-based
lessons and instruction as part of the scope and sequence of
instructional planning. Pre-service teachers are introduced to the
approaches for differentiating instruction for adolescents with academic
diversity and other special needs. The field experience is completed
over 10 weeks.

Liberal Studies Core

The Liberal Studies Core Curriculum is one reflection of Gannon University's commitment to
its Catholic identity. The Core's design offers students a defined, integrated, shared
experience as the foundation for their undergraduate program.

You Will Earn

Salaries in the field vary depending on the location and type of organization.